INTERVIEW With Singer/Songwriter/Producer Sarah May

London born singer, songwriter, and producer musically venting the woes of being a female in the modern world. Sarah May began singing as a small child and has performed in front of audiences since a very young age which included being involved in theatre productions. At the age of 9, she started writing lyrics and recorded her first original song when she was 14 years old. She released her first CD of original songs at the age of 17 and has since continued to write, play, and release music as well as obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice. Sarah taught herself keyboard and guitar to write songs and eventually began experimenting with music production. She has, to date, penned more than 100 songs, covering topics such as; love and heartache, depression, addiction, politics, sexism, partying, financial hardship as well as others, her lyrics are known for being honest and sentimental, yet witty.
Sarah has collaborated with various different musicians and has been a member of several bands over the years in a variety of genres, and has performed across Europe and Asia.

INTERVIEW:

Q: Thank you for taking the time for this interview for TMN. Let’s start at the beginning with your music career. For first time readers finding out about you via this interview will want to know how you came about with your musical journey…..
Thank you for having me! I can’t remember exactly when it began, I have been singing and performing since before I can remember, and I was always making up songs for me to sing, I guess making music felt like a natural thing for me to do, and even during the times I have strayed away from my musical journey, I always find myself being lead right back to it. Music is everything to me, listening to it and creating it, it speaks a universal language, and there’s so much variety that it caters to every mood or life situation.

Q: What are some of the highlights of your musical career which also lead you to this point in time?
I think knowing that people in so many different parts of the world are listening to it has been a true highlight, and being told by people that they relate to my lyrics, its amazing, there are countless times I have listened to music and it has helped me to not feel alone in feeling those feelings, so being able to do that for someone else brings me great joy. Also, I remember the first time I performed one of my original songs when I was 14 years old, and I received a standing ovation from an audience of 1000 people, that was incredibly surreal!

Q: What are some of the obstacles you face as an artist?
Trying to be an artist for a living, as anyone who is trying to will know, is immensely challenging. It is an oversaturated, brutal, and highly competitive industry, you need to have very thick skin to throw yourself into it because your self-esteem and confidence can take a real beating. Also, it can be very isolating, being able to create it, a lot of hours need to be spent alone, plus its opening yourself up, telling the world your inner thoughts and feelings, so it can make you feel very exposed and vulnerable too.

Q: Who are some of your inspirations?
I have so many I wouldn’t even know where to begin really, I have always had such an eclectic taste in music, growing up my parents would listen to all kinds of things like; psychedelic rock, reggae, 50s and 60s rock n roll, country and folk, being a child in the 90s I enjoyed a lot of 80s and 90s pop, indie, and dance music, and as a teenager and young adult I was out dancing to rock, drum n bass, electro, house, and techno music. So it’s really quite impossible to name anyone in particular, I actually struggle to compare my own music with that of anyone else’s, I’ll let other people judge that I guess.

Q: Social Media: Do you feel it truly reflects an Artists talent?
I don’t feel that social media truly reflects anything full stop. We choose what elements of ourselves we put up there, and our online personas can be very different to who we really are on a day to day basis. You can’t base a person’s popularity, happiness, or success by social media, so can it truly reflect an artist’s talent, no. It’s a platform, and a great way to network, but its just a part of the overall picture, not the whole picture. Also, you could have some seriously talented artists who haven’t a clue how to use social media to showcase it, it’s a different skill altogether.

Q: Who gave you your first opportunity in music?
I’d have to say my parents, my mother encouraging me as a singer and a performer, and my father encouraging me on the musicality side of it. I’ve spent my whole life around musicians, and people in the arts, so I can’t remember when my first opportunity in music was.

Final question: I have been asked many times: where do you see yourself in 5 -10 years’ time? I personally feel that isn’t a fair question because it is so general-based. So let me ask you this: What are the new things you would like to try with your career or even lifestyle that you haven’t experienced yet or would like to do differently and why?
I feel so fortunate in that I have already gotten to experience a lot of things that I have always dreamed about, but I certainly want to travel more and perform in some new places. I don’t like to plan too much, because you just never know what’s going to happen, but I will definitely be making my music my main priority more than ever.

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